Electric iron supports



1955 w. R. BIDWELL 2,727,710

ELECTRIC IRON SUPPORTS Filed Oct. 8. 1952 FIG. 2

FIG

INVENTOR. WILL/AM R. B/DWELL ATTORNEY.

United States Patent ELECTRIC IRON surron rs William R. Bidwell, Cantomphio, assignor to The Hoover Company North "Canton, 0h'ioj,'a corporation of Ohio Application October 8, 1952, "Serial-No.-.313,7

2 Claims. (Cl..24.8.117. 1)

The present invention relates to .electrict-iron supports and more particularly to a storage support which may be used to up o twami n uqha po ition ha Water will not spill therefi om .even .thoughQthe, iron may be stored with water therein". Specifically; the invention relates to a support for a-steamiron having -a permanently open fill opening which faces upwardly when the iron rests onits heel and the-support is so formed as tosupport such an iron-in substantially its filling position when placed-on-the support.

According to another feature of'thepresent" invention the support is soformedas to'engage-an iron supported thereon in only three major points; namely, the rear base of the-rear handle legythe" cover-plate at the rear of the sole plate, and the face of the sole plate adjacent to its toe. Preferably the support is formed with a nonmarring member at the latter point. As shown in the drawings, the support as shown is also provided with a sort of cradle which engages the lower edges of the cover shell of the iron to hold it in a slight rearwardly inclined position.

Specifically, the support of the present invention comprises a casting having a base or flat wall engaging surface with an integral upwardly and outwardly extending arm, the upper forward end of which engages the surface of the sole plate near its toe, and is preferably formed with a soft non-marring tip of soft magnesium or a heat resistant Bakelite. The base may be screwed to a wall, cabinet door, etc., and is provided with grooves for receiving the legs of a supporting cradle. The cradle is preferably formed of heavy spring wire. The bight or nexus of the cradle is positioned outwardly of and below the base to form a support upon which the rear leg of the iron handle may rest. From the bight, the legs of the cradle extend in a generally vertical direction to a point laterally of and to each side of the top of the casting and then downwardly and forwardly into grooves in the base. The legs are then extended downwardly and outwardly so as to engage the cover plate to the rear of the sole plate, to complete the three point support for the iron. The electric cord may then be looped over the downwardly and rearwardly extending parts of the cradle leg and the upwardly and outwardly extending arm of the casting.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the support of the present invention and:

Figure 2 shows the support of Figure I mounted on a wall with an iron supported thereon.

Referring to the drawings the reference numeral 10 generally represents the casting which may be made of aluminum or any other suitable material. The casting 10 includes a base of flat wall engaging member 11 and an upwardly and outwardly extending arm 12 having a tip 13 on which a soft non-marring sole plate engaging member 14 may be mounted. In the example shown the atented ec. 20,-.1955

member 14 is a roller which may be madeof magnesium, from a heat resistant Bakelite or any other suitable material. It is to. be understood that themember .14 may. take other forms than that shown. The, base 11 is formed with-openings to receive the attaching screws 15. and with grooves 16 for receiving the .legs of a cradle to be presently described.

The cradle is generally indicated by thev reference numeral 20 and includes a horizontal extendingbight ornexus 21 positioned below and forwardly of the base 11.' The legs of the cradle are formed of .sectionsu22 extending from the bight 21 in a generally vertical direction to a point on either side of the tip'13 of arm, 12, downwardly and rearwardly inclined sections 23 which extend from the top of sections 22 vertical sections 24 which are received in they grooves. 16 of the base .11 and downwardly and outwardly inclined end sections .25which extend to a point upwardly and rearwardly of ,the bight 21'. The ends of the sections 25 are bent inwardly at 2 6 to form a smooth curve against'which-a portion of the iron may rest.

Ifdesired the vertical sections 24 of the cradle 20 may be. Cast into the base 11 in which case the grooves .16 arenot necessary.

While the support of the present invention maybe used to support any type of iron it is designed specifically for supporting the steam iron which is shown in Figure. 2.

The iron shown in- Figure 2 includes a sole plate 30, a cover shell .31, a handle 32 havingna rear leg.33., an electric cord 34, a cover plate 35 beneath the cover shell 31 to the rear of the sole plate 30 and a vertically facing fill opening 36 through which the water reservoir may be filled with the iron in a substantially vertical position. The various parts of the iron are secured together in any suitable manner well known in the art.

In Figure 2 the support is shown attached to a vertical wall 37. In that position the bight 21 will engage the rear leg 33, the sections 22 will engage the sides of the cover shell 31, the member 14 will engage the base of the sole plate adjacent its toe, the rounded ends 26 will engage the cover plate 35 and the cord 34 may be looped behind the sections 23 and arm 12.

The sections 22 have been shown as engaging the cover shell 31, that is for the purpose of tightly gripping the iron while in its supported position. However, the sections 22 may be formed so they will be free of the cover shell and the iron tipped rearwardly so that the sole plate will rest against member 14 by gravity.

The iron shown in Fig. 2 is of the type in which no water will spill from the opening 36 with the iron position either horizontally or vertically. Thus the user may place the iron in storage position while it is still hot without bothering to empty the water reservoir and no water will be spilled. Furthermore, if desired, the reservoir may be filled while in storage position.

While Fig. 2 shows a steam iron, any type of iron may be supported so long as it is of similar shape and size. In either case it is to be noted that the member 14 is the only part of the support which engages the surface of the sole plate. That is an important feature of the invention since sole plates are usually made of aluminum castings which are easily marred.

While I have shown and described but a single embodiment of my invention it is to be understood that that embodiment is taken as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense. 1 do not wish to be limited to the single structure shown and described but wish to include all equivalent variations thereof, except as limited by the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. A support for an electric iron having a soleplate, a cover shell and a handle including a rear handle leg comprising, a fiat supporting base adapted to be attached to a vertical surface, an integral arm extending upwardly and outwardly from said base and having an upper end adapted to contact the surface of the sole plate of an iron to be supported, and a cradle carried by said base, said cradle being formed from a single length of heavy spring wire having a pair of vertically extending sections secured to said base, a pair of legs extending downwardly and outwardly from the lower ends of said vertically extending sections and adapted to contact the supported iron to the rear of the sole plate, a pair of sections extending upwardly and outwardly from the upper end of said vertically extending sections and adapted to extend over the edges of the sole plate of the supported iron, a pair of sections extending downwardly from the upper ends of said upwardly and outwardly extending sections in spaced parallel relationship to said base and adapted to embrace the cover shell of the supported iron, and a horizontal bight section connecting the lower ends of said last named sections and adapted to engage the rear handle leg of an iron supported by the support.

2. For use with a steam iron of the type having a sole plate with a pointed toe, a cover shell secured to the sole plate and extending beyond the rear end thereof, a handle secured to the cover shell and having a rear leg, a cover plate secured to the under-side of said cover shell to the rear of the sole plate and a forwarding facing fill opening through which water may be poured into the reservoir when the iron is positioned substantially vertically; that improvement which comprises a support for supporting an iron of the above type in a substantially vertical position with the fill opening facing upwardly, said support comprising, a supporting base adapted to be attached to a wall or other vertical surface, an integral arm extending upwardly and outwardly from said base and having its upper end position to engage the surface of the sole plate of the supported iron adjacent to toe thereof, and a cradle of spring material carried by said base, said cradle having a closed end bight section located below and outwardly of said base for contact with the rear side of the rear leg of the handle of the supported iron, vertical sections extending upwardly from the ends of said bight section substantially parallel to the supporting surface to points forwardly and to either side of the upper end of said arm, inwardly sloping sections extending from the upper ends of said vertical sections to said base and adapted to extend over the side edges of the sole plate of the supported iron and end sections extending outwardly and downwardly from said base to points above and inwardly of said bight section and adapted to engage the cover plate of the supported iron to the rear of the sole plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 263,722 Prangle Sept. 5, 1882 1,814,517 McDowell July 14, 1931 2,021,496 Anger Nov. 19, 1935 2,584,011 Greenberg Jan. 29, 1952 2,603,438 Adams July 15, 1952 2,662,719 Hammond Dec. 15, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 247 Great Britain of 1909 

